Nadya Irne's Story

Nadya Irne, Ruler Divine of Ophia, turned her face from the assault of death. The curtain of her carriage swung back across the window, shutting the young woman in the swaying wooden compartment and blocking out the picture of destruction outside. Nevertheless, the image of the once green-covered, rolling hills, now reduced to desolate waste, haunted her visions and piqued her guilt, as it had since Chamaeleon's destruction. Alone, she sat with her thoughts while the armed men accompanying her carriage rode either side. Thought allies had offered their companionship on the ride to the King's meeting, Nadya had refused. She did not want to deal with others as she was forced to face the results on her kingdom's war. Best to take the trip alone, and give the ruler adequate time to compose herself.

Outside the protective walls of the carriage, Nadya clearly heard the sounds of her men coming to a stop before, moments later, the carriage halted. For a breath of time, everything was eerily quiet. She hadn't realised how loud life could be until it was taken away.

"Divine, we have arrived." Came the dulled voice of her guard captain, his words muted as if he were scared speaking too loudly might disturb the dead enemies of this land. Nadya did not blame him, she felt her hand shake as it wrapped delicate fingers around the door knob. She held steady for a second, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She would not show this weakness to the other rulers, nor to her men. She was not weak, nor would the guilt she felt compel her to back down from her goals.

"I did what was necessary. It was them or us." She told herself, as she squared her shoulders and held herself high. The door was pushed open, and a guard stepped up to help his queen down. Nadya's foot touched Chamaeleon soil, the once fertile ground now only good for burying the past. No hint of her previous anxieties remained on her face as Nadya stepped out. Guilt was pushed aside, replaced with a confidence taught to her through years as ruler.

Amber eyes cast across the landscape, taking in the desolation, but this time also searching for her destination. She found it to the front of her procession; a scene of life amongst the barren kingdom. Green grass pulled the eye, no doubt a thankful reprieve from grey horizons. Beside the green was a pond, clear and fresh. Yet, more surprising than the patch of life, were the beings looming around a decadent table of food. They ranged in appearance, from a fearsome Minotaur to a trident wielding man, but they all gave off the same impression, of being other , as if of this world, and yet transcending it.

With her head held high, Nadya waved her men aside and made the final part of the journey herself. She knew she stood shorter than those already gathered at the table, but physical stature had never stopped Nadya from standing as if she towered over the tallest. She would not back down in the face of her enemies. Feet moving from doomed grass to the green, Nadya dipped respectfully to the king, her greeting formal, and as required for individuals of their position, before nodding curtly at those against her; Scorpio's ruler, Einosuke, and Leo's Akai. Then, with a warmer welcome, Nadya turned towards Taurus' king.

"Lacero, a pleasure." As she greeted her ally, Nadya's eyes flicked up behind him to the Minotaur situated behind him. She wondered whether these zodiac guardians - for each clearly linked back to each kingdom's zodiac - were designed to intimidate, protect, or both. Taurus sat only two seats from her own designated place, and Nadya found her gaze first drawn to the sprouting tree in the place of Chamaeleon's guardian, to the woman clutching snakes in her grasp. Their eyes met, and Nadya was not sure what she read in the fathomless express on her guardian's face.

Respectfully, Nadya bowed to the guardian as she drew closer, one hand clutched across her heart, the other pressed against her lips, palm outwards, in a show of respect. The guardian inclined her head, and only then did Nadya turn to the final mtake her seat, ready for whatever would come next.

If personal choice had been taken into account, Kaveh would be far from where he now stood. Dark dust would not be in his eyes and in his hair, his back would not ache from several days of uncomfortable riding, and the twisting of his stomach would no doubt be lessened by the escape from what was no doubt going to be an intense meeting. Yet, for the relatively new ruler of Sahjare, personal choice was not an option when it came to important summons such as these. One could ignore the odd request from an advisor, but not the King.

"Make a note, Aahd, that when I return to Ptai, I will commission the construction of any large travelling device that will make journeys such as this more enjoyable." Kaveh Mehrzan said idly to his companion, who didn't make a move to write any idea down, knowing that his charge would no doubt lose interest in pursuing such a thing in no short amount of time. Instead Aahd merely gave a brief bow and took the reins from Kaveh's horse into his own hands.

"I will wait here for you, Mirza." Aahd announced, even if his gaze had been pulled curiously to the gathering of guardians and rulers alike in the near distance. Aahd, a man of thirty-something, was not Kaveh's ideal type of companion. For one thing Aahd was soft spoken, quiet, and much too serious for the liking of the younger man. Yet, Kaveh had requested him to accompany him to the King's meeting specifically. He might not talk as much as Kaveh, or enjoy relaxing as much as the young ruler, but Aahd had a steadiness that Kaveh appreciated, and a maturity that Kaveh admired. Even if Kaveh himself made little attempt to learn from it.

"I believe I see some from Scorpio over there, feel free to relax while you wait. Let your hair down even." Kaveh attempted to joke, referring to Aahd's refusal to remove his hair from the knot atop his hair and let it down, not to mention the older man's stubbornness when it came to constantly being on duty. Yet, as Aahd would clearly not be welcomed onto the island of life with the other rulers, Kaveh hoped that his guard and friend might be able to relax slightly since things were out of his control.

"Don't have too much fun without me, Aahd." Kaveh added with a grin before turning on the spot, gazing towards spectacle before him. He was yanked back a step by a hand clutching his cape, the pull of the material producing an embarrassing squeak from the younger man as he was tugged back.

"Don't forget your swords, Mirza." Aahd advised, letting go of his master and offering the curved blades with his other hand. Kaveh rubbed his neck slightly, and nodded, hooking the blades onto his belt as he thanked the man. Only then did he truly set out to the meeting table. Though he wore an easy smile on his tanned face, Kaveh's mind was no so pacified. He felt nervous, and certainly like he didn't belong. What could he offer to the table of proven rulers? He, Kaveh Mehrzan, who could barely use his Gem-given gift, and who had missed more official meetings for the ruling of Libra than anyone else on council. He wished he'd taken his role more seriously now. But it was too late for wishes... he could just have to do the best he could, and hope that his friends at the table might support him where he lacked.

It was just such a friend who drew Kaveh's eye first; Einosuke Saitou, the ruler of Libra's neighbour, and Kaveh's personal friend. Kaveh felt relieved to see the other ruler already at the table, as if a companion sitting beside him would boost Kaveh's own confidence and strength. Similarly, as he saw and waved to Akai, seated just beyond Eino, he felt that same flood of relief. It was tempered only slightly by the figures of Taurus and Ophiuchus' rulers. Neither he had met in person, but both were well known, and he didn't need to have met them before to automatically know who they were - the guardians behind them made it obvious

With a bow in greeting to the king, Kaveh skirted around the table to take his seat. He found his gaze and body stalled as he came close to the Libran guardian, standing ominously behind his chair with scales in her hand, as if she were here specifically to weigh his soul and find him wanting. Across Libra there were many temples and alters dedicated to Eszter, the Libran goddess of balance and justice, and standing before the guardian, Kaveh felt as if he were standing in front of the divinity herself. He bowed low, a quick, whispered prayer on his lips - to honour or placate her, he wasn't sure - before he took his seat.

When Kaveh's nerves had calmed down adequately, and his normal smile had returned, Kaveh leaned in to the friend seated beside him, "Eino, I'm glad to have you beside me."

Kaveh felt like a child sitting at the table of rulers, as if he were playing a game in his father's seat. He felt out of his depth, and dearly wished he had paid more attention to the political mechanics his advisers had so hastily tried to teach him before his departure. Though many of the rulers were close in age to himself, most had years of experience at the helm of their kingdoms. His gaze drifted around the table as the last rulers arrived, taking in the familiar faces and those he had only heard rumours about. It always surprised him how young Ophia's ruler, Nadya Irne, was, when she had been ruler of her kingdom since Kaveh had been old enough to fully understand his own father's role. He did not approve of her actions in the past years, but he felt pity more than anger towards his enemy. He would have hated living under such strict rules since childhood. His own mother had let him race across the desert dunes with his cousins in handmade sand ships, so long as he'd written his regular letter to the man sitting beside him.

As the king's words resounded around he table, Kaveh felt his mind start to ache. This was both an opportunity to fix the mess they had all created; to balance the world once more, but also a chance for Kaveh to prove that he was a worthy ruler... either that or a chance to fail spectacularly and force his kingdom to kick him off the throne. While the freedom of life before he had become Libra's ruler still made Kaveh ache with longing, he knew his pride - and that of his family - would never stop hurting if he allowed himself to be the last Mehrzan on Libra's throne. So, he listened attentively as the King described the ritual. Nodding his thanks to his guardian, Kaveh took the scroll and gazed over it, as if attempting to absorb the information.

'Fuck... this looks... what even is that word?' Kaveh's thoughts turned to confusion and alarm as he slowly tried to read the scroll in his hands. The language was old, the ink faded, and one portion had been crossed out and rewritten several times. It made his head pound and his feeling of inadequacy deepen. How could he ever hope to help his kingdom if something as simple as reading a scroll was too hard for him? Frowning, Kaveh rolled it up and returned his focus to the King's words, hoping that another look at the scroll later - when he was less distracted by everything else going on - might help illuminate the message better.

Kaveh was just in time to hear the first paired counterparts and, as the names were announced, he felt his heart sink. Golden eyes gazed across the table to the white haired man sitting under the looming figure of the fawn guardian. Aries would not have been Kaveh's first choice, regardless how many pretty birds the man sent him. The fate of his late brother always surfaced at some point when conversation turned towards the man.

Yet, before Kaveh could even think to protest, if he thought he could, other voices rose in dissent. Dante of Aquarius threw insults at the pretty pink-haired ruler of Pisces, the harsh words shocking to hear in such a formal setting. His voice was joined by the stern and accusatory words of Cancer's ruler, who seemed to believe everyone else was somehow complicit in the lose of Cancer's gem centuries ago. Akai's voice seemed almost to be lost in the noise, but Kaveh heard it. He felt sad for his friend, wishing she was not forced into such a situation either. Perhaps he too should voice his honest opinion, but then... he knew he had a lot to learn when it came to ruling a kingdom, and while his hesitation - and laziness - had thus far limited his rule, he thought that perhaps if he did this, it might make up for the months of inaction.

It was, in part, the voice of his closest friend at the table that swayed him. Eino spoke to his counterpart, Anemone of Sagittarius, in agreement. Kaveh glanced at his friend, thinking that Kaveh too should put his kingdom before himself for once in his life. Even as more voices gained strength around the table - the Gemini rulers clearly stating their opinion, and then the calmer tones of Capricorn's Faust speaking a moment later into the silence - Kaveh came to his decision. Taking the chance after Faust had finished speaking, Kaveh directed his gaze at Aries and spoke,

"For the sake of our kingdoms, I will work with you Aries."

To his own ears Kaveh sounded stately and regal, but then doubt set in slightly and he added in a more uncertain tone, "Though I do not fully understand the spell..."

Nadya Irne heard the king's words. She felt them sink into her soul and grasp at the guilt which weighed her down.

'I have seen your regret and thus wish to give you a chance to correct the wrong.'

Regret. Yes, she felt that, but at the same time her mind - stubbornness - rebelled against the claim. She was firm in her belief that, had Ophia not struck the final blow, the war would have continued for indefinite violent years. She sacrificed a slice of her humanity to destroy Chamaeleon, but to have the chance to restore her enemy... to make amends for her wrongs? She had not thought the possibility existed, but clearly it did. Yet... Nadya was hesitant. To complete such a ritual would surely be admitting she was wrong. How was she to explain this step to her people? Or stay strong in the face of her enemies when the king so openly exposed her hidden thoughts?

Nadya sat in silence as the voices around the table rose, mulling over her options wordlessly. She would have to work with the other rulers, both allies and enemies alike. It was possible that such a close relationship and access to their inner kingdoms would offer both dangers and opportunities she might not otherwise have. Not to mention the chance to be there as Chamaeleon's gem was restored. What would happen on such an occasion? Surely, the un-peopled land would be easier to claim in such a situation, even if it were only to claim back Ophia's rightful grounds that had previously been stolen from them.

The woman's thoughts were disrupted by the inane insults of an enemy, his words directed at the pink-haired ruler sitting to her side. Nadya's eyes narrowed as she took in Dante Aquarius, contempt clear in Nadya's hard eyes. She would not let the impostor speak badly of her friend.

"Clearly the King made no mistake when not addressing you as a ruler," Nadya said scathingly, "Such uncouth language does not befit a ruler of a kingdom. You have outed yourself as a brute."

Next, Nadya's gaze turned towards the eldest - save the king - at the table, and took in the appearance of the man who had once been an ally to her. His henchman stood beside him, and to both the men Nadya now spoke, "As for your gem, Lord Cancer, believe me when I say, if Ophiuchus had been responsible for its theft, your kingdom would look similar to the landscape around us after your betrayal. As it does not, I would prefer that you keep your accusations to yourself."

Her tone took on a softer note as she turned to the Gemini twins, their familiar faces a relief against the figures of her enemies. "Thank you for your offer, Cedric and Cellica. There may come a time when I ask for assistance, but for now I believe I should attempt this on my own." Their offer was kind, and had it not included the use of air ships, perhaps Nadya might have accepted. She thought, however, that she might ask them to accompany her to Cancer's land when it came time to visit Nuccolo's kingdom for Nadya's ritual. Surely allied support would be needed in such a hostile land.

Turning to the King, Nadya stood up, regal in the draping whites of her dress with her head held high. "I will perform your 'Ritual of Nubes Pilas'" She told the King, "But, is there a way to ensure my safety and that of my companions should I enter an enemy's kingdom?"